The Sound of Profit

21/04/2025 15 min Episodio 2
The Sound of Profit

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Episode Synopsis

Follow Jacob, Miles, and Victor through a story about musical exploitation, globalization, and hope, starting with the creation of Jazz and concluding with the future of Afrobeats. 
 
Names: Jacob Matlof, Miles C. Selles, and Victor Chen
Interviewees:

Bolaji Oyedepo 

Bolaji Oyedepo is an Nigerian American musician from Houston, Texas, paving his own way in the modern music industry with the fusion of Afrobeats with hip hop and R&B. He’s known for his primarily afrobeats song “OWO!”.

Viranshi Vira

Viranshi Vira is a student at Case Western University. Raised in Los Angeles, Vira found her love for K-pop during the pandemic and has been fascinated by the industry ever since. However, she’s also aware of the forces that shape the K-pop industry.

Dr. Pheaross Graham - music.stanford.edu/people/pheaross-graham

Dr. Pheaross Graham is a Mellon Fellow at the Stanford Humanities Center and Lecturer in the Department of Music at Stanford University. He is a musicologist and concert pianist with expertise in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Western art and African American music. 
Research: No research was explicitly cited in the episode. However, the following resources were consulted during the development of the podcast:

The Origins of Jazz - Jazz Observer
Elvis Presley’s ‘Hound Dog’: Big Mama Thornton’s Influence – Rolling Stone
Little Richard: I Am Everything Documentary Review – Rolling Stone
Studs Terkel Radio Archive - Jazz Topics
Forum Discussion on Record Label Hopping in the 50s and 60s
Big Mama Thornton – Wikipedia
Hound Dog (Song) – Wikipedia
WhoSampled - Elvis Presley's ‘Hound Dog’ Covers
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller – Wikipedia
Fela Kuti – Wikipedia
Fela Kuti Official Website
Is K-pop Afrobeats Here to Stay? – JoySauce

 
Music Acknowledgements:

“Hound Dog” by Big Mama Thornton, Youtube 
“Hound Dog” by Elvis Presley, Youtube
“Tutti Frutti” by Little Richard, Youtube
“Money” by Pink Floyd, Youtube
“Shakara” by Fela Kuti, Youtube
“OWO!” by Bōlají, Provided by Artist, Deezer
“Smart” by Le Sserafim, Youtube
“Dynamite” by BTS, Youtube